Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

As Ma Chongying rode his horse into Shimen Pass, it was dusk, and the fiery sunset bathed him. He felt an immense sense of peace and satisfaction—this battle was his for the taking! With Huizhou fallen and Shimen Pass now breached, he could even hope to inflict a heavy blow on the Tang reinforcements near Yuanzhou. He had no doubt that after this battle, the Tang would actively seek peace…

No, the Tang Emperor still cares about his reputation and may not be willing to send someone voluntarily. I should send someone myself, with a slightly more humble tone, just to reach a peace agreement as soon as possible. Although I hope to use Longdi as the boundary, I previously considered that if the Tang Emperor agreed to cede Anxi and Beiting to our territory, we could make some concessions on the eastern border. After this battle, we can focus all our efforts on attacking the Western Regions, and there will be no need for the Tang Emperor to cede territory. Although it will be a little more difficult to take it ourselves, it will be enough to boost the morale of the army and the people.

He dismounted and climbed the gate. Looking west, he saw winding, endless mountain roads. His Tibetan vanguard had already broken through the pass, but more than a thousand rear guard troops were still stuck dozens of miles away. If the Tang had been prepared, repairing the pass beforehand, preparing bows and arrows and weapons, and stationing thousands of elite troops there, even if he had committed all his main forces, he would have had a hard time taking it. And even if he had, how many soldiers would he have lost?

The Tang people were adept at defending strategic passes, such as the Liupan Pass, where they repeatedly suffered defeats in direct confrontations. This time, if it weren't for the surprise attack and the two feints... well, the southern route failed—if I hadn't launched a swift attack, how could Huining Pass and Shimen Pass have been captured so easily?

A smile crept across his face. He turned his head and looked eastward again. Immediately, Ma Chongying felt a chill run down his spine and up to the top of his head!

From Shimen Pass to the mountain pass, it was only a three-mile journey. Standing on the pass, one could see the plains in the distance. Beyond the mountains, banners fluttered and cavalrymen roamed freely... Ma Chongying knew that those who had crossed the pass earlier were all infantry, with very few cavalry generals. So where did all these cavalrymen come from?

Mang Re will come to the rescue after capturing Pinggao City? Impossible. Even in the entire Yuanzhou, it's unlikely that there would be enough usable warhorses!

Immediately following was an urgent report: "Our troops encountered the enemy at the mountain pass. The enemy, consisting mostly of cavalry, charged forward at breakneck speed, throwing our troops into chaos and forcing us to retreat back to the mountain path..."

Ma Chongying glared at him: "Can you tell where this flag is from?"

"It's the Shuofang Army!"

Ma Chongying immediately felt a darkness engulf his vision...

In fact, at this time, the force that intercepted and killed the barbarian soldiers in front of the mountain was not only the four thousand elite cavalry from Shuofang, but also the more than one thousand Shence Right Army soldiers who were originally stationed in Baiquan, whom Han Quanyi had temporarily invited.

Xing Junya originally did not intend to act rashly. Firstly, he had no imperial orders, and secondly, with only 1,500 soldiers, he was afraid it would be difficult to rescue Huizhou. If the number of barbarian bandits was small, the Anxi and Beiting military camps could hold Huining Pass without him having to go out. But if the number of bandits was large, even 5,000 or 6,000 soldiers in the military camp would not be able to defeat them. Since he was unfamiliar with the area, wouldn't he just be throwing his life away?

Han Quanyi repeatedly pleaded, saying, "Please go first, and I believe Ma Zhenxi will soon send reinforcements... If all else fails, if Huizhou cannot be defended, Yuanzhou will be attacked. There are not many garrison troops in Pinggao City. If you can help defend Pinggao and Shimen Pass, you can also achieve great merit."

Although the two had never met, they both came from the Northern Army, which was now considered their most prestigious resume. No matter which army you joined first or how long you fought in battles, as long as you could gain experience in the Northern Army, even if it was only for a month or two, you could talk about it when you went out. Of course, those who couldn't have it would say sour grapes: "Was it really so glorious to have served under a eunuch?" Since there was already some incense smoke, Xing Junya couldn't refuse Han Quanyi's request too much, so he finally agreed, saying that as long as Yuanzhou provided the funds for the troop deployment, he would help defend Pinggao for a month or two without any problem.

But once they entered Pinggao City, Duan Xiushi greeted them and informed them of the barbarian bandits' surprise attack and Li Ji's scheme. Xing Junya couldn't stay any longer—"Commander Li is our senior. Since we are destined to be in Tongzhou, how can we not go and pay him a visit?"

Actually, he was almost ten years older than Li Ji... Regardless, Li Ji entered the Northern Army first, so he was undoubtedly the senior!

In fact, Xing Junya wanted to take advantage of the situation and claim credit. Since he knew that Li Ji was leading several thousand elite cavalry from Shuofang here, even if the barbarian bandits captured Huizhou or even broke through Shimen Pass, they would not dare to underestimate Yuanzhou. They would most likely be forced to fight. How could he let such a low-risk, high-reward battle pass him by? What was the point of merely helping to defend Pinggao?

Thus, a signal fire was lit beforehand to inform the enemy, and then Xing Junya led his troops north out of Pinggao City—not far from the Tibetan army led by Mang Re. Li Ji ordered the signal fire to be used to send a message, instructing Xing Junya to slow down and not to alert the enemy. Only after Mang Re stepped into the trap was it announced that it was safe to proceed, and that Xing Junya should hurry, perhaps still able to catch up with the enemy.

In truth, if the goal was merely to wipe out Mang Re's forces, Li Ji's four thousand Shuofang cavalry would have been sufficient. Even if Xing Junya pursued them relentlessly, he would likely only be able to mop up the battlefield. However, Shimen Pass fell at this very moment, and the main force of the Tubo army pursued the defenders, breaking through the mountain pass. The Shuofang cavalry had only just begun their charge when the Shence Right Army arrived, setting up their ranks and filling the gap left by the Shuofang forces.

Upon hearing the news at Shimen Pass, Ma Chongying nearly collapsed, then cried out in anguish, "General Mangre is likely already trapped by the enemy!" Since the Shuofang army was able to reach this place, it must be a leak of military secrets, or the Tang people have guessed my entire plan. What good can come of that surprise attack force that slipped out of the plateau? Unless they see the situation turning against them and retreat, but given Mangre's temperament, he most likely won't...

Seeing that it was getting dark and there was no way to break through the mountain pass, he had no choice but to order the entire army to retreat to the vicinity of Shimen Pass—the Tang army did not pursue them.

As night fell, a patrolman helped Mang Re, who was soaking wet and had a face as pale as paper, to see Ma Chongying. Upon seeing him, Mang Re collapsed to the ground in tears, claiming that he had been forced by the Tang army and refused to be taken prisoner or have his head taken by the Tang people. So he took off his armor and jumped into the Shimen River to commit suicide.

Actually, if you really want to commit suicide by drowning, it's best to wear heavy armor so you sink to the bottom and can't easily float back up...

Mang Reshi was a skilled swimmer, and he managed to swim against the current, struggling upstream until he reached the valley before finally climbing ashore. There were more than a dozen other Tibetan soldiers who escaped with their lives in this way; the rest were presumably already dead.

Five thousand elite troops were wiped out!

After inquiring about the whole story, Ma Chongying first beat his chest in frustration, then comforted Mang Re with kind words, saying, "General, although you also made mistakes due to your haste and oversight, I was the one who devised the plan, and I must bear the main responsibility." After ordering his soldiers to help Mang Re down to rest, he pondered deeply all night. Early the next morning, he ordered his men to sneak out of the mountain pass to observe the enemy's situation.

Scouts reported that there was no one left outside the mountains; the main Tang army had retreated to camp five miles to the south, and another Tang army unit, bearing the banner of the Shence Right Army, had entered Shimen Town. Ma Chongying couldn't help but smile bitterly, "The enemy refuses to advance; what can I do..."

If the Tang army, emboldened by their victory and in high spirits, were to storm into the valley in an attempt to recapture Shimen Pass and recover Huizhou, then the battle would still be long. But now they have simply left the flat land in front of the mountain open, waiting for me to come out—I am not so foolish as to go down to the flat land and repeat the mistakes of Mang Re—then this battle can be considered over.

So he stayed for a day and ordered the repair of Shimen Pass. He then left a thousand soldiers to guard it. Ma Chongying led the army westward. When he arrived at Hechi, he received a report that Huining City had been captured.

Previously, Wang Tongzhi and others, officers of the Anxi and Beiting military camps, conspired to surrender the city to the Tibetans. After agreeing on a date, they set fires and created chaos in the night, causing widespread disorder within the city. The Tibetan army seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack and scale the city walls. Bai Xiaode fought desperately, and although he personally killed Wang Tongzhi with an arrow, he was ultimately forced to abandon the city. Leading over a thousand remaining soldiers, he barely managed to fight his way out and escape to Ulan.

Ma Chongying breathed a sigh of relief—this meant he had captured Huizhou, and although he had lost 5,000 elite troops, he could at least make up for his losses upon returning to Luoxie and give a passable account to the chieftains. His biggest worry was that the morale of the Anxi and Beiting armies would soar upon hearing that Tang troops from Shuofang and other places were coming to their aid, while he himself had to guard against the Tang army coming from the west. He truly couldn't focus all his efforts on attacking Huining City in the short term, and if the situation dragged on, it might change.

Little did he know that the nightmare had only just begun...

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Li Ji annihilated 5,000 Tibetan troops behind Shimen Pass on the eighth day of the tenth month. Two days later, Ma Lin led several thousand Jingyuan troops to the scene and immediately broke into the valley to launch a fierce attack on Shimen Pass.

If Ma Lin hadn't come, Li Ji would never have dared to attack the pass—how could we waste our elite cavalry from Shuofang? But he was also puzzled as to why Ma Lin had arrived so quickly, and with such a large number of troops—had you abandoned the Liupan Pass?

Ma Lin told him, "We just received a message from Fengxiang that the barbarian bandits originally intended to gather a large army from Longyou to attack Dazhen Pass, but due to the rebellion of the Qiang and Hu tribes, they were forced to pursue and annihilate them at Niaoshutongxue Mountain and could not arrive in time..."

Judging by the time, even if the southern barbarian bandits quell the rebellious Qiang and Hu tribes and launch another attack, it will still take more than ten days for them to arrive. I have the opportunity to temporarily withdraw some of the garrison troops from various passes to take over Shimen Pass—Shimen Pass is the northeastern shield of my Yuanzhou, how can it be allowed to fall into enemy hands for long? Moreover, urgent reports have already been sent to Binning, Fufang, and even Chang'an. In just ten or fifteen days, reinforcements should arrive.

The Tang army launched a fierce attack on Shimen Pass, while Ma Chongying's troops were stationed near Hechi. Upon receiving the news, he was considering whether to engage the Tang army in a fierce battle near Shimen Pass, or to temporarily abandon the pass and let them enter Pingyuan before fighting again. Suddenly, an urgent report arrived: Jinjiyuan had been attacked!

Jinjiyuan was Ma Chongying's forward base for attacking Huizhou. The garrison there was small, only two or three thousand old and weak soldiers, with five thousand bushels of grain stored there for unforeseen circumstances—because Huizhou was barren, and if the war dragged on, supplies would have to be transported from other prefectures. Originally, according to the plan, Shang Jiexi would lead a force to launch a feigned attack on the passes of Liupan, making Jinjiyuan a safe rear base where they would not encounter the enemy. Therefore, Ma Chongying had no concerns, and the garrison was not particularly vigilant.

Unexpectedly, Shang Jiexi changed course at the last minute, heading west to suppress the rebellious Qiang and Hu tribes. Although Ma Chongying had been worried about Jinjiyuan, he was busy capturing Shimen Pass and did not send reinforcements for the time being, only ordering the garrison to be on high alert. Unexpectedly, after Li Sheng broke through Liupan Mountain, he advanced hundreds of miles west, assessed the situation, and surprisingly headed north from Longxi Straight Road, directly attacking Jinjiyuan. The battle lasted only half a day; the Tibetan garrison, caught off guard, collapsed immediately. Li Sheng then set fire to the camp and grain stores, burning them all to the ground.

Upon hearing the news, Ma Chongying could not help but stamp his feet and sigh, filled with regret.

Huizhou is barren, and the grain reserves in Huining City are also not much. Although there is the salt from Hechi, it is not enough to fill their stomachs. So, when his tens of thousands of troops entered the city, the Tang people cut off their retreat. Once the food ran out, there was a risk of the entire army being wiped out!

In particular, the troops left behind at Jinjiyuan were caught off guard and quickly collapsed. They couldn't even tell how many Tang troops had come. The remnants who fled to Huizhou lied to cover up the truth, claiming that there were tens of thousands of troops all over the mountains and plains. As a result, all the generals were afraid and advised Ma Chongying that it would be better to withdraw the troops as soon as possible.

Left with no other choice, Ma Chongying disregarded Shimen Pass and hastily retreated to Huining Pass, then headed south to Jinjiyuan. Upon arrival, he found only scorched earth and corpses, with not a single Tang soldier in sight—Li Sheng's forces ultimately numbered only a thousand cavalrymen. Having narrowly escaped with their victory, they dared not linger. They had already retreated back to Liupanshan.

Almost simultaneously, after several days of fierce attacks, the Tang army recaptured Shimen Pass. Li Ji and Ma Lin, leading a combined force, surged eastward towards Huining City. Passing through Hechi, they saw that the wooden huts where the salt workers had lived were all burned to the ground, with several severed heads hanging from the charred beams—

Before leaving, Ma Chongying had ordered the execution of all the salt supervisors in Hechi and the binding of the salt workers to be taken back to Tibet in order to undermine the productivity of the Tang people.

Li Ji's eyes widened in fury as he roared, "The Tibetan traitors are brutal, and Ma Chongying is hateful. I will take his head one day!" Since they had successively annihilated Mang Re's forces and recovered Shimen Pass, capturing no less than a thousand prisoners, they could naturally extract information from the prisoners about the Tibetans' overall plans and who their general was.

Li Ji wanted to speed up and give chase, hoping to catch up with and kill Ma Chongying, but Ma Lin stopped him. Ma Lin said, "The main force of the barbarian bandits is not yet lost. If they are like cornered rats devouring a fox, I'm afraid our two armies, with only ten thousand men, will find it difficult to break through..." He didn't finish his sentence—"If you rush in rashly, you might turn victory into defeat!"

Then he sighed and said, "From now on, I'm afraid Huizhou will no longer belong to me..."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Remaining Strength Can Be Acquired

Although Huizhou was a salient in the Tang Dynasty's defense line, its terrain was originally advantageous to the Tang: to the east were high mountains and the Yellow River, making it difficult for large armies to pass; only to the north was it barely passable, leading to Shuofang, while to the south was Huining Pass and to the west was Shimen Pass. Therefore, if the barbarian army could not gain a firm advantage in battle, it would not dare to stay in Huizhou for long and would have to retreat—even without Li Sheng's surprise attack, it is estimated that Ma Chongying would have had to go through a lot of painstaking planning to have any chance of actually taking over this land.

However, the Tang people originally relied on the geographical advantage and the nearly ten thousand people within the prefecture, as well as the salt produced by Hechi, to barely maintain a force of five or six thousand soldiers to garrison the Anxi and Beiting regions. Now, with the barbarian invasion, most of the people have fled, fields have been trampled, and productivity has been severely damaged. Even the salt workers from Hechi have been captured. Coupled with the treacherous and difficult transportation routes, maintaining a force of fifty thousand soldiers for an extended period is simply too costly!

Moreover, precisely because Huizhou is barren, other armies are unwilling to come, so the Anxi and Beiting military camps have been ordered to come. Now that the military camps have been decimated, how can they be defended?

Li Ji pointed around with his whip and asked Ma Lin, "The terrain in the heart of Huizhou is quite flat, so why are there so few fields and households?"

Ma Lin smiled and said, "Because there is a river and pond in the middle, the land is mostly saline and alkaline, and not suitable for cultivation."

Li Ji slapped his forehead, thinking to himself, "I've made a foolish mistake..." He then sighed, "It's truly a dilemma. But if I don't defend it, the barbarian bandits will retreat, but they will come back. Shimen Pass is not as strategically important as the passes of Liupan, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to stop the bandits' advance."

Ma Lin shook his head: "This is beyond our control. Let's see how the court arranges it."

The army advanced steadily, gradually pressuring the Tibetan troops until it recaptured Huining City and Huining Pass. At this time, Shang Jiexi finally quelled the rebellious Qiang and Hu tribes, killing tens of thousands of people. Upon hearing the bad news, he was unwilling to accept defeat and attempted to retake Huining Pass and Huizhou, but the Tang army held firm and could not advance an inch for seven days.

Meanwhile, Tang reinforcements arrived at the front lines one after another, including troops from Binning and Fuyan garrisons, as well as a 3,000-strong Northern Imperial Guard. This was only because Li Ji, Ma Lin, Li Sheng, and others won quickly enough and sent back timely reports of victory, which prevented the Tang court from having to use troops from Tongguan or even Hezhong.

When news of the attack on Huining Pass reached Chang'an, Li Yu initially dismissed it, saying, "This must be a feint; the main force of the barbarian rebels is clearly heading to attack Shuofang." However, news of the fall of Huining Pass and the siege of Huining City soon arrived. Furthermore, according to Bai Xiaode's report, the barbarian army numbered no less than 50,000, and Ma Chongying's banners were seen among them. Li Yu panicked, carefully examining the map, seemingly understanding it but not quite, for a long time before suddenly stamping his foot in frustration, exclaiming, "Li Ji has misled me!"

An urgent order was issued to dispatch troops from all directions in Guanzhong to the rescue. Although food and provisions were in short supply and funds for the expedition could not be distributed in time, Huizhou was in grave danger, and Yuanzhou might become the front line. If Yuanzhou fell, Fengxiang and Chang'an would also be in peril. Any garrison that dared not to come to the rescue would be beheaded!

Moreover, the imperial edict was sent in advance by carrier pigeon to the military supervisors of each garrison, instructing them to urge their generals to prepare for troop deployment. Upon receiving the official edict, they were to set off immediately without delay. Although the garrisons in Guanzhong were also governed by military governors, the court maintained a relatively firm grip on their power—especially after Li Ji executed Zhou Zhiguang. The military supervisors usually did not participate in actual operations, only supervising and reporting, but their prestige within the army was often enough to rival that of the military governors. To put it bluntly, in times of crisis, the military supervisors could completely sideline or even imprison the military governors, stripping them of their military power and forcing them to obey the emperor's orders.

—In other places, especially in the towns of Yan and Zhao, even if the military supervisor had the courage, he would basically not be able to accomplish anything.

Therefore, the military governors of each town had to provide their own money and provisions, and muster their troops to set off. Fortunately, just a few days later, while Li Yu was still anxiously inquiring daily about whether the towns of Binning and Fufang had already dispatched their troops and where they were, a report suddenly arrived that Li Ji had led a light cavalry south and annihilated a massive Tibetan army of ten thousand men at Shimen Pass…

Well, it's common for good news to be exaggerated, and even Li Ji is no exception—why can you all exaggerate, but I can't?

However, Li Ji immediately submitted a personal memorial to the palace, telling the truth. He first examined his own misjudgment of the enemy, and then went on to boast about how he saw through the barbarian bandits' intentions. In order to make amends, he quickly led his cavalry south, set a trap, and annihilated the barbarian army of five thousand with a small force.

—Although they numbered only five thousand, their willingness to risk their lives and cross the mountains in a surprise attack on Pinggao indicates they were no ordinary barbarian. After capturing the prisoners and interrogating them repeatedly, I learned they were indeed elite troops among the barbarians, and their general was Mangremolongqixibi, the military governor of Yemaochuan, and the chief general under Ma Chongying. It's a pity that because the barbarian rebels broke through Shimen Pass and pursued them to Xiaping, there was no time to examine the corpses; it is estimated that the bodies were taken back by the barbarians.

Li Yu summoned Guo Ziyi for discussion. Guo Ziyi said, "If what Li Shuofang said is true, that the attacking bandits numbered five thousand and were all wiped out by Qi—which makes sense—then I predict that the morale of the barbarian bandits has been dampened, and this year's war will soon come to an end."

Li Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that no matter who wins or loses this battle, it's best to finish it as soon as possible. The past few days have been too agonizing... So he asked, "In that case, should we recall the troops from Binning and Fufang?"

Guo Ziyi shook his head and said, “No. First, although the barbarian bandits are exhausted, we must guard against them using their remaining strength to launch a counterattack. Moreover, Huizhou is in ruins and must be defended. Second, the court has just urgently ordered the various garrisons to send troops, but recalling them halfway would damage His Majesty’s trust and reputation.”

Li Yu asked with a bitter face, "What if they come to demand military pay and provisions in the future?"

Guo Ziyi refused to comment on this matter, only saying, "Regarding matters of money and provisions, I hope Your Majesty will consult your financial advisors."

Thus, the armies of the two garrisons marched up Longxi. The Binning army, being closer in distance and under the command of Jiedushi Li Baoyu, arrived at Huizhou first and took control of Huining City. At this time, Bai Xiaode had already led the remaining troops of the Anxi and Beiting armies back from Wulan. Li Baoyu, having usurped the position, directly sent him to the south to assist in the defense of Huining Pass.

The second Battle of Huining Pass lasted for seven days. The Tang army that had gathered behind the pass gradually increased from 10,000 to over 20,000, most of them with high morale due to their victory—excluding the newly arrived Anxi and Beiting troops—and they were constantly receiving reinforcements. Li Ji even said, "So what if Huining Pass falls again? The valley is narrow, and we will build layers of fortifications to defend it. We will surely inflict heavy casualties on the barbarian rebels and not allow them to take a single step!"

In contrast, Shang Jiexi's force of about 40,000 men consisted mostly of newly recruited Qiang and Hu soldiers. They were already disunited and lacked fighting strength. Furthermore, after hearing that Mang Re's entire army had been wiped out, everyone was filled with fear. Not only was it impossible for them to break through the pass, but they also suffered heavy casualties. Their exchange ratio with the Tang army remained at a high level of five to one.

Li Ji then had his men shout from time to time on the pass—sometimes in Tibetan language, sometimes in the Qiang and Hu dialects—saying: "Li Erlang from Shuofang has come to rescue Huizhou. He has killed no less than ten thousand genuine Tibetans before. Now he will kill all the real and fake Tibetan bandits and recover Longyou in one fell swoop!" The Tibetan army's morale then collapsed even further.

Left with no other option, Shang Jiexi ordered a retreat. Li Ji seized the opportunity to break through the pass and launched a fierce attack, pursuing the enemy relentlessly for three days through the valleys, killing countless enemies. Shang Jiexi finally escaped into Chengji City, where he could catch his breath. Upon reassessing his troops, he found that the number of barbarian soldiers was less than three thousand, while the Qiang and Hu tribes had almost all been wiped out.

—Ma Chongying did not follow Shang Jiexi to attack Huining Pass again. He knew that since the situation had developed to this point, there was no choice but to accept the defeat. Trying to turn the tide might result in losing all his resources. Therefore, after his earnest advice was ignored, he had already led the remaining troops to retreat to Xiangwu to protect Longyou.

He had barely settled into his position in Longyou City, and Shang Jiexi was still plotting to seize Huining Pass out of resentment, when news arrived that the northern route had suffered a major defeat...

Meanwhile, Qilibuzang launched sporadic attacks on Feng'an Army, merely to tie down the forces of Shuofang Army. Bai Yuanguang initially treated this as a major threat, repeatedly sending envoys to Li Ji for help. When Hou Zhongzhuang arrived first with two battalions and informed Li Ji of the new plan, Bai Yuanguang initially disbelieved it. However, after waiting two more days and repeatedly sending men out to spy, he discovered that the barbarian army was indeed not very strong in combat, and most of them were newly allied Qiang and Hu people.

Bai Yuanguang couldn't help but start thinking. He felt that if he stayed here and held out, he wouldn't gain any merit. On the contrary, if Commander Li went south and the enemy situation was as he predicted, it would definitely cause great damage. Compared with that, his defensive battle would be even more insignificant... No, I must launch a counterattack!

So they contacted Xu Yu, the Left Wing Army Commander—who, following Li Ji's instructions, had encamped a day's journey west of Feng'an Army, gradually reinforcing the front lines—urging him to come to their aid under cover of night. Then, the next day, taking advantage of the weakening of the barbarian army's offensive, they would suddenly open the gates and launch a surprise attack. The Qiang and Hu armies were immediately thrown into chaos; even the five thousand genuine barbarians could not hold their positions, and the Tang army slaughtered them, leaving corpses strewn for miles. Qilibuzang barely escaped with his life…

After the battle, Bai Yuanguang presented two thousand heads to Chang'an. Gao Ying changed the report of victory to five thousand beheadings and five thousand prisoners, claiming an unprecedented victory.

In previous autumn defense campaigns, the Tibetan army would either not send a large army, but only use small units for guerrilla warfare and harassment. However, when they sent a large army, they would fight until heavy snow fell, or even until the following spring, before they would withdraw. This war in the third year of the Dali era, however, ended in less than 11 months with the Tang army achieving complete victories on two fronts.

The Tibetan army retreated in droves, and the Tang army returned in triumph. Huizhou was temporarily entrusted to the garrison of the Fufang army, which had come from afar without achieving any success. Li Ji, the military governor of Shuofang, Ma Lin, the military governor of Jingyuan, Li Baoyu, the military governor of Binning, Ma Sui, the deputy military governor of Fufang, and Xing Junya, the military commander of the Shence Right Army, rode back to Yuanzhou together and temporarily camped outside Pinggao City. Han Quanyi and Duan Xiushi opened the gates to welcome them, and Ma Lin, as the host, immediately prepared a grand banquet to entertain the generals.

The four military governors, along with Wang Xiqian, the military supervisor of Jingyuan, held the highest positions, and Xing Junya, a general of the imperial guards, were all treated with utmost respect. They were seated in a row at the head of the table, and the other officers and soldiers below them came up one after another to offer toasts. The main figures being toasted were Ma Lin—after all, he was the host—and Li Ji, as everyone said that this great victory was entirely due to Commander Li's shrewdness in uncovering the barbarian rebels' treachery.

Li Ji waved his hands repeatedly, saying modestly, "I was also almost misled by Ma Chongying. I only came here to make up for the shortcomings... If you ask me, the greatest credit for this battle belongs to Vice Envoy Li of Binning. If it weren't for him discovering the movements of the Longyou barbarians and burning and killing them at Jinjiyuan, how could we have gathered so many troops here and defeated the barbarian bandits?"

He raised his wine cup to Li Baoyu and said, "It is a pity that Li Liangqi is not here. I can only ask General Li to accept my respect on his behalf."

Li Baoyu accepted the offer without hesitation, drank the wine in his cup, and then laughed heartily, saying, "There were originally two Marshal Lis in this place, and if you include Liangqi, there are three Marshal Lis—all of whom share the imperial surname, so why be so formal? You may simply call me by my name, and I will call you Erlang, is that alright?"

Li Ji laughed and said, "Why not? But it would be too disrespectful to call you by your name, Commander Li... You are my senior, may I humbly call you brother?"

To be honest, it's your "Li" that was bestowed with the imperial surname; none of us are even close to it... Li Baoyu's real name is An Chongzhang. He is a Hu person from Hexi, so he has neither a courtesy name nor the custom of addressing people by their birth order like the Tang people. Li Ji really doesn't know which son to call him, so he simply calls him "brother".

In terms of age, Li Baoyu is old enough to be Li Ji's uncle, but since their positions are similar now, it's not appropriate to differentiate them by seniority.

As the generals offered toasts in turn, one of them suddenly stepped forward, knelt before Li Ji, raised his wine cup high above his head, and loudly proclaimed, "This humble general may have offended Commander Li in the past. This time, I originally intended to be driven by Commander Li to kill the enemy and atone for my mistake, but I have a duty to defend the territory and dare not leave without permission... I humbly beg Commander Li to be magnanimous and forgive this humble general!"

Li Ji looked closely and exclaimed, "So it's Brother Qin..."

It turned out that this person was none other than Qin Rui, the former military governor of Wushun Army, who is now merely the magistrate of Yuanzhou.

Li Jixian, feeling disrespected, frowned and asked Qin Rui, "Brother Qin said you had offended me, but you added the word 'or,' I wonder why?"

Qin Rui replied with a face full of shame, "Back then at the walls of Hengshui, I suffered a crushing defeat and nearly put Commander Li to death... However, it was truly due to the chaos within the army that I failed to reorganize, and I did not intend to harm my comrades. Therefore, it is true that I offended Commander Li, but it was not my intention..."

Li Ji then asked, "Then what about your Wu Shun army cutting off the north-south routes, isolating communication, and disrupting our supply lines?"